The graduates, congratulations. You have been well launched. This is one of the Great Schools in ohio and our nation. There are so many great programs, the Business Program the Nursing Program that is awardwinning, your premed and science programs. I think about Ashbrook Center because the Ashbrook Center is celebrating its 34th year of excellence in a few days. I love this campus, i love coming on campus and getting to know the students. I get fromd counsel folks, including the Ashbrook Center. It is neat to share the stage with jelly, josh, and zach. Angie, who to have got her start in politics at Ashland University has the College Student body president. She did this a years after joey, but she still makes me call her madam president. Joey, you can be your excellency. Republicans and democrats together on something, it was unanimous the lady eagles deserved this resolution. Congress finally got together on something. We are in their house, so congratulations to than. Im drafting a resolution for the baseball team. No pressure, but you better keep it up. Here, scholars, athletes, every graduate, congratulations. It is exciting to be part of this day with you. You came as students and are leaving as alumni. I am sure the Alumni Association will be contacting you soon with a letter of solicitation to congratulate you and ask for your help. Anyway, i will give your graduation gift and try to be brief. You have so many friends and family here. Lets hear some applause for that. [applause] let me start by saying it is probably bittersweet for some of you. This is a good place to be. In your future, there will not month. Eak night every the great food you had at Ashland University, do not expect it unless you are a great chef here i know you will miss cheese barn. They say ashland is the headquarters of nice people. Even for ohio, people in ashland are nice. Is a place of civility. That is what i like about this campus, it is a place of civility. That you are seekers of truth and all points of view should be considered. We all have to do a better job of understanding other peoples points of view. Here, you will carry that with you, i hope. I know that you are going to miss other things, maybe even t uffy the eagle. But lets talk about the future. This is called a commencement for a reason. T is a new beginning for you you are launching the next chapter of your lives. Mpo did a good job talking about those that were part of your strength. Folks in the audience that believed in you when you do not believe in yourself. Folks that of help you in various ways. Maybe if your tuition. Maybe that is why they are celebrating, because tuition payments are over. That would be understandable. The success you celebrate is not only about you, it is everyone who got you to this point, including teachers, administrators, family. M. Ts celebrate your teaw lets give them another round of applause. [applause] sen. Portman ive talked to some of you, and im glad some of you will stay home. Most are from ohio, im glad you will stay in ohio, we need you here. Because some of you will stay in ohio, i will give you reminders of ohio values talking about a thatamous ohioans exemplify those values. Ke are known for our wort ethic. I did a radio interview in cleveland. The host was saying young people are lazy. They dont have the work ethic. I dont see that. I see a lot of hard workers. You would not be graduating if you did not have the work ethic. It is something to be reminded of, because that is an issue that the notion of somehow we are holding up the dignity of work and hard work. T is part of ohio my kids get tired of me saying this, but one of my favorite sayings is, the harder i work the luckier i get. Some people will tell you getting ahead is out of his control, that it is a matter of luck. I believe you have the ability to chart your own course. Ofd work is the ingredient success over which you have the most control. Circumstances change all the time cometh but the one thing that one changes the rules you complain in your success. In the boardroom, the shop floor, the senate floor. Lets talk about who exemplifies that. What about the right brothers . Grew up in a house without electricity, a telephone, running water. Neither had a high school diploma. They did have ohio work ethic. They had full time jobs running a bicycle shop, yet they pursue their passion. A lot of smart people who had more advanced education had already tried to build a flying machine. Leonardo da vinci being line. They succeeded. They did this by the time they were 40 years old. No pressure. It is an incredible achievement, hard work pays off. There is no feeling in the world d success. Su you are the accomplish that because you are here. The second is determination. No matter where you are in life and where you go, you will have. Hallenges, bumps in the road you will be challenged to respond to that one way or another. Giving up is sometimes easy to giving up sometimes seems to make the difficulties go away, but it is the quickest way to fail. Ian was great ohio Thomas Edison. Deaf. His nearly teachers told his parents he was either inattentive or unintelligent. Startedschool at 14 and selling newspapers. He wanted to be an inventor. Votehe was 22 he made a counting machine that he tried to sell to the u. S. Congress. They were behind the times and to get them until 1974 the machine. He failed there. He was rejected, but persistent. By the time he was 31 the nearly deaf kid that nearly failed in school invented the phonograph. After that he went on to work on everything else, including incandescent light bulbs. He and his staff conducted 2000 experiment on the lightbulb to fin the best materials. They experimented seven days a week for five months when it end stopped by to say im sorry you have gotten. Y results s response was, i have gotten plenty of results. I now know several thousand things that dont work. Persistence, he kept at it and became the most famous inventor of all times. Setbacks are just learning experiences. When i first ran for Political Office a poll showed that i had 6 name identification. More than half thought i was fortune. A lot of people said, you are nice, but you wont make it. You should give up. Succeed, but my passion was to represent my neighbors. Your passion will be something, dont give up and show persistence. Follow that dream. Finally, along the lines of what was said earlier, lets talk about service for a second. To whom much is given, much is required. We have many examples of that in ohio. We have eight president s from ohio. Nine Supreme Court justices, 24 astronauts, and more than 800,000 veterans. Some of them are here this morning. [applause] thank you. Think you for serving our country. Ohioan i wills mention is a Public Servant who i have gotten to know very well. He is best known as being the First American in space. He is known as john glenn should he was a hero in my view long before he went into space. When the japanese attacked pearl harbor, he was a college kid. The 19 you will the 19yearold you know here, imagine back then, pearl harbor happened, and john glenn decides hes going to serve. He signed up to be a marine corps pilot. When the korean war broke out, he stepped up again. For his distinguished bravery he was awarded. Face s historic historic spaceflight, he decided a different type of service. About one year ago, i asked john glenn to calm any my staff. He and his wonderful wife showed up, and a peppered john glenn with questions. It was really interesting, because he told my team that happiness in life does not, from all the material things you think about. , happiness in life comes from one thing, and that is serving others. He spoke about serving the cause greater than yourself. He was someone who never stopped finding ways to serve. With his talents, he could have done anything, absolutely it does not have to be about politics are public willce, but many of us leave here energized ready to p and make sure that your mitchard keep fighting. Like Thomas Edison make sure to keep fighting. Just like Thomas Edison. And then my john glenn, find excellence and fulfillment that works for you. God bless you all. Go eagles. [applause] i am honored to be here today , but i have noticed that some of your fellow students have raised questions about me being your commencement speaker. I want you to understand what is behind these protests. We did have a good conversation and i am sure she is here i heard her concerns , and while some i found legitimate, others i disagreed , but whether i agree with her or not, i say i am proud of her to speak out. It is fully ok to hold me accountable for the things that i am accountable for. We should all be held accountable. What does it mean to hold someone accountable and how do you make yourself accountable . Today, i will talk about what it means to be accountable in hopes it will provide some value to you in the years to come. Views with you, i do not mean to imply that i have done it all right. I have not. Many lessons i learned i learned by making mistakes. It takes kurds to be held accountable. In faireen many people embarrass themselves over the by acting like lemons and going along with the pack. Havee also seen others who been under tremendous pressure and still always did the right thing. Graduates, you will be getting ready to go out into the world, to get jobs, to lead spirit along the way, you will face new pressure. Pressure to look the other way when you see things that are not right. The pressure to do things simply because everyone else is doing them. Never give in to that pressure. Have the fortitude to do the right thing and that the easy thing. Lapdog orsomebodys sycophant. Have occurred to speak the truth even when it is unpopular. Have the courage to put yourself on the line, to strive for something meaningful, and even risk what may be an embarrassing failure. President trump is in saudi arabia is weekend for his first stop on a nine day trip with senior white house officials andy first lady. And the of officials first lady. The king of saudi arabia greeted